Banana Pi BPI-M5 Pro: New Raspberry Pi alternative offers AI computing power

The Banana Pi BPI-M5 Pro is a new single-board computer based on ARM architecture. Specifically, an RK3576 is installed, which has four Cortex A72 computing cores with a (maximum) clock frequency of 2.2 GHz and four Cortex A53 computing cores. As usual, the Cortex A53 computing cores should be able to handle less demanding tasks themselves and thus enable greater energy efficiency. An ARM Mali-G32 MC3 graphics solution is integrated in the SoC. An NPU is also available, which is said to offer AI computing power of up to 6 TOPS, meaning that AI-supported image recognition can be carried out directly on the Banana Pi BPI-M5 Pro without needing to use the cloud.

The LPDDR4x RAM measures 8 or 16 GB, depending on the configuration selected, while the built-in eMMC memory is 32 or 128 GB in size. The VPU can also decode H.264 material at 30 frames per second and in 4K resolution. Measuring 92 x 62 mm, the board is reportedly capable of operating in temperatures ranging between 0° and 80 °C. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5 are also available, plus two Ethernet ports.

A microSD card and an M.2 SSD up to the M.2 2280 form factor can be installed. Image output is possible via HDMI, DisplayPort and MIPI DSI. The GPIO pin header is, as is often the case, compatible with the Raspberry Pi. Lastly, a 5-volt fan can be connected if needed.

The Banana Pi BPI-M5 Pro is not yet available and the price is likely to be over (well) over $100.